Tasty Sage and Rosemary Pork Chops

I can't always get my husband (I love you, sweetie!) to cook. It's not that he doesn't enjoy cooking...but the process of "chopping" quickly frustrates him. If I want his help with cooking, it's in my best interest not to ask him to spend 20 minutes dicing vegetables. He had suggested cooking pork chops for the company that I had last night, and this was a quick and easy recipe. I had most these spices in my cabinet already, and the results were very tasty!

Note: This recipe is courtesy of www.Pillsbury.com

Sage and Rosemary Pork Chops


INGREDIENTS
2 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick)
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat closed contact grill 5 minutes. Brush both sides of pork chops with oil; sprinkle with sage, garlic-pepper blend, rosemary and salt.
2. Place pork chops on bottom grill surface. Close grill; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until pork is no longer pink and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F.

Our variations:
1. I didn't have a "garlic-pepper blend", so we used a little bit of garlic powder and ground pepper instead.
2. Since we had company, it was just as easy to put these in the oven on a broiler pan. Set the broiler to "high", and cook for just as long.

Cook up a package of boxed rice, some frozen veggies, and maybe a couple of Pillsbury frozen biscuits (we had the Cheddar Cheese ones, and they taste a lot like the ones they serve at Red Lobster!), and you have a really awesome meal!

How did I save money?
I almost never buy meat at full price. Look in your meat section for things that are on "Manager Special". It's not that the meat is "no good", but that it is too close to the sell-by date for them to keep on the shelf much longer. I buy the really big multi-packs, even though it's just the two of us. As soon as I get home from the grocery, I take quart or sandwich bags, put two chops (or a "family portion") in each bag, and use a permanent marker to label the outside of the bag with the number of chops and the date they were purchased. If you want to pre-marinate things, go ahead and put a little marinade in the bags before you put them in the freezer.

On a personal note, I love the Pillsbury website! I signed up for their mailing list, and I get recipe ideas, contest notifications, and coupons for Pillsbury products! Their website is really easy to navigate, and they have a lot of "Cooking for Two" recipes. I pulled off several of their recipes to try this month, so I'll post the ones I've tried once the cooking is complete!

Happy cooking!